


The Violent Reunion

by DominatorBot



Series: The Alternate Universe [7]
Category: Wander Over Yonder (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25091749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DominatorBot/pseuds/DominatorBot
Summary: Lord Wander's past catches up to him in a violent way.  Hater and Commander Peepers work together to undermine Lord Dominator and begin plans to build their own army and conquer the Galaxy.
Relationships: Dominique - Relationship, Lord Wander - Relationship
Series: The Alternate Universe [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1728091
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	The Violent Reunion

Wander Over Yonder (AU)

A lot of time passed while Wander and Carl worked for Setronilion. They were trusted to handle all kinds of jobs like delivering packages, passing on messages, tailing people, and so on. But Wander was starting to get fed up with what he called 'Baby Jobs'. Sure, Setronilion was placing a lot of trust in them to do the jobs he gave them but Wander felt like they could do more. He had these powers, why not put them to use?

Next time he sees Set he's going to ask for a tougher task. Maybe even get started on his first hunt! Set had promised him that he was going to train him as a Hunter but so far that amounted to little more than doing what he was told.

Wander didn't deny that Set placed a lot of trust in them but that trust had limits and he was determined to push those limits.

Carl was shaking down a dead-beat who owed Setronilion a small sum of money. “Give us what you have and we will see if it is enough.”

“I don't carry money with me! I'm not stupid!”

Carl drove one of his legs into the man's gut, doubling him over. He dropped down to his hands and knees, gasping for air.

“Carl! Go easy. We're just here to scare him not hurt him.” Wander had noticed Carl's behaviour getting more aggressive of late. It concerned him but not enough to do anything about it. So Carl was a little bit violent, big deal.

“If you insist.” He stomped on the man's back.

“Carl!”

“Okay!” The man coughed. “I have your money, just leave me alone!”

Carl kicked him in his side. “It's a good thing you relented, otherwise things may have gotten ugly.”

Wander shivered at his friends' implication. When they were far enough away not to be heard by anyone Wander knelt down in front of Carl and questioned him. “What the flarp was that?”

“A shake-down.” He said matter-of-factly.

“No, it wasn't. Where you really going to hurt that man badly if he didn't co-operate?”

“Of course not.”

Wander sighed with relief.

“I would have killed him.” Carl walked by Wander, not interested in explaining himself.

When they reached Setronilion's keep Wander asked to see his snake mentor. It took two minutes for them to be given access. Inside the keep rows of red drapes covered the stone walls. Large windows between the drapes let in a cool breeze, making the drapes ripple. At the other end of the throne room was the 'throne' itself. A collection of the finest silk cushions arranged in a neat pattern.

Setronilion was curled up on these cushions, his head raised two feet above his body. “Welcome boys. Did you get the money I asked for?”

Wander answered, “We did.” And tossed the small bag of coins towards the snake, landing it within reach.

Setronilion used the tip of his tail to pick up the pouch and bring it close to him. He didn't check to see if it was the correct amount. “I hope you weren't too hard on old Bulahn.”

Wander squirmed a little. “No, he's fine.”

“Good. Now if there's no other business I'd rather be alone right now.”

“There's one thing, sir.”

“Oh?”

“I was wondering... when are you going to let me out on a hunt?”

Setronilion shifted his body off of the cushions, inching his way closer to Wander and Carl. He was close enough for Wander to smell his breath.

“Do you think you are ready?”

“Yes! I want to prove myself.”

Setronilion raised himself above Wander, looking like he was ready to devour him. “So be it. I have a simple hunt that even an inexperienced kid like you can do without much hassle.”

Wander wanted to argue that he wasn't a kid any more but he knew better than to pick a fight with Set. “What is it?”

“The details aren't important. All you need to know is where this man is and to bring him back to me alive. I received his location this morning and was contemplating who I should send. And you just volunteered.”

Wander felt his hands shaking. This was it. This was his chance to actually _do_ something. “Where is he?”

“I have a small ship waiting for you on the landing pad. The co-ordinates are already uploaded.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh and the ship is yours. It's a piece of junk and probably should be sold for scrap but you need it to get started.”

Wander couldn't hold his smile. He hugged Setronilion, nuch to the snake's surprise.

When Wander let go he saw Setronilion smiling back. “Now will you please leave?”

Wander nodded his head then left the keep with Carl following close behind.

“A ship! We have our own ship!”

“He said it was junk.”

“I don't care! It's a ship that belongs to us! That's all that matters to me.” Wander couldn't wait to see the vessel that waited for them on the landing pad above the keep.

It looked like piece of junk.

He felt mildly disappointed when he first saw the rust bucket. It looked like it hadn't seen any repairs in years. The paint was faded to nothing and the windows were so badly scratched you couldn't see through them. But there was one thing about it that he loved the moment he saw it. It was _his_.

Carl was the first to board the ship and activate its power. Or tried to. It took three attempts before the consoles came to life and the engine fired up. “Are you sure about this Wander? This vessel seems very unstable.”

“We gotta start somewhere, Carl. Besides, after a few successful hunts we'll be able to afford a bigger and better ship.”

“The sooner the better.”

Carl launched their rickety ship into space, found the co-ordinates that Set left for them and warped to their first hunt.

Wander placed a hand on the Captain's Chair. It looked old and ready to fall over but he couldn't resist the urge to sit on it. He tried to look as much as a Captain as he could given the state of their ship. But he felt like he pulled it off.

Soon they were in range of their target. “Carl, open communication with that ship.”

“You are good to go.”

“My name is Wan... _Lord_ Wander. I have come to take you back to Setronilion due to the bounty on your head. Do you understand?”

No response.

“Playing hard to get? Carl, take us in closer.”

The ships were side-by-side.

“You have one more chance to respond, if you fail to do so you will be boarded.”

Still no response.

“Link us up.”

Their ship creaked and groaned as it extended it's walkway to the other vessel. Wander waited at the airlock with Carl, ice on his hands while Carl had his blaster ready. The door slid open and a haggard looking man charged at them, screaming obscenities.

He was no match for Wander's ice.

“That _was_ easy.” He said with some disappointment. His first hunt was filled with disappointments.

“Let me go! I did nothing wrong!”

“Then why is there a bounty out for you? Things like that don't just happen for no reason.”

“Look, I can give you money. Just tell Setronilion that I got away.”

“No deal. I said I was going to bring you in and I'm going to make good on that promise.”

Seeing that there was no point in trying to negotiate with the furry man the bounty switched to the Bot. It was a long-shot but what did he have to lose? “Robot! What about you? If you kill this idiot we can both be rich.”

The pink lens seemed to grow darker. “Kill Wander?”

What happened next was something Wander was not expecting. Carl charged his blaster to full power and fired a deadly bolt at the man's head, vaporizing it.

Wander was stunned into silence.

Carl dragged the body onto their ship, a wisp of smoke replaced the head that was once there.

“What did you do?”

“He insulted me, and you.”

“You can't just go around killing people!”

“Why not? Is that not my purpose?”

“No! You're supposed to be my friend.”

“And I am.”

Wander had made a mistake. Somewhere in Carl's programming was a need to hurt and to kill. Nora had designed these Bots to be killers and Wander had followed her blueprints to the letter. He should have known better.

But what can he do about it? He couldn't just destroy Carl. Their friendship was one of the few things that made him happy. But murder was something he couldn't forgive, even if he was partially to blame for it.

“Hey Carl, why don't you scout out that ship and see if there's anything we can take?”

“Might be a good way to make some extra cash. Okay, give me a few minutes.” Carl boarded the other ship. When he crossed the threshold Wander withdrew the walkway, disconnecting the two ships.

Carl turned around to see their ship slowly drift away from him. “Wander? What happened?”

“I'm sorry, Carl.” He cut the connection. The next thing Carl saw were the ships weapons turning against him and firing a salvo of lasers. Carl remained motionless as lasers ripped through the ships engine, destroying it completely. Leaving him stranded.

Carl felt something new stir inside him. But he knew the word for it. Rage.

Wander slumped against the Captain's Chair, tears stinging his eyes. In a fit of anger he ripped the chair off its hinges and tossed it across the room, slamming it into the wall. Then he fell to his knees, unable to move.

When he came back to Setronilion he explained all that had happened.

“That was an unfortunate error on your part.”

Wander didn't disagree.

“But I think I can help with that. I'll have my technicians look over your blueprints and make suitable changes.”

“If it's all the same with you I'd rather do this myself.”

“I understand, but I'm only giving you components for one more Bot. If this second one fails then you'll have to build the next from scratch.”

“Wander nodded.

“Good. And I have decided to give you another chance. When you finish constructing your new Bot come see me.”

“I will.” Though he was feeling far less enthusiastic than before.

It took him one week to go through the code and take out all references to killing that he could find.

Another week after that and the Bot was completed. The pink lens glowed.

“Hello.” The machine said. Its voice lighter and more conversational than the other Carl's had been.

“Hi. I'm Wander.”

The Bot tilted it's round head. “Who am I?”

He thought about giving him another name but decided against it. “Carl.”

“Well then, hello Wander my name is Carl.”

Wander smiled. “Pleased to meet you, Carl.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

Wander hesitated for a moment before asking, “Do you want to be friends?”

“I think I would like that.”

Wander stuck out an open hand.

Carl accepted the hand with his own.

After they shook hands Carl asked, “So what now?”

“Now, we get to work.”

“Great. Less than two minutes old and already I am being put to work.”

Wander raised an eyebrow.

“Is that what you think friends are?”

“What? I...”

“You should see the look on your face.”

“Oh. When I installed that humour chip I didn't know it was going to be at my expense.”

“I would not worry about it. I will only tease you fifty percent of the time.”

“And what about the other fifty percent?”

Carl thought about it. “Practical jokes.”

“Wait, are you being serious?”

“I do not know. Am I?”

Wander gave him a wide grin. “I'm going to keep an eye on you.”

“If you do, I will try not to loose it.”

“C'mon, bud. Let's introduce you to Set.”

Carl followed Wander down the long halls. As they made their way through the keep Wander's laughter echoed down the halls. A sound not heard often in this place.

## 

THE VIOLENT REUNION

“What's wrong?” Asked Domi. She was in the middle of brushing her hair.

Wander looked shocked. His fur was bristling and his eyes were manic. “That Bot on the bridge? It's not Carl.”

That wasn't the response she was expecting, though she wasn't quite sure what she was expecting in the first place. “I didn't know there were more of him.”

“There's only the one other. But I thought I'd never seen him again.” Wander looked back, as if something might have been there.

Domi placed her brush back into her satchel. “You've lost me.”

“The Carl you met before...”

“You mean the one who knocked my friend out?”

Wander scratched the back of his head. “Uh, yeah, that one. He was the second Carl I built.”

“Which makes the one on the bridge your first?”

“Yes.”

She wasn't sure what he was getting at. “So what's the problem?”

“We didn't exactly leave on good terms. Or, to be precise, I left him. Alone. On a derelict ship in the middle of nowhere.”

“Wander.” She shook her head.

“I had my reasons... But I would be lying if I said I didn't regret doing it.” He took his eyes away from her. He felt very ashamed.

Domi stood up, straightened her dress and took his hand. “Maybe you can fix it now? This could be your chance to make up for your mistake.”

“I'd like to believe that but the first Carl was dangerous. He killed an unarmed man that we had already captured.”

“So what do you want to do?”

“First we need to get to the bridge and change course.”

“You don't want to go to Meadar?”

“First Carl is taking us to Maelstrom, to the person who issued your bounty. And Hater.”

“Then we can't waste any more time.” Domi walked to the doorway and poked her head out. She looked both ways but nothing was out of the ordinary. “We need a plan.”

Wander stood with his hand on his chin, stroking the tuft of fur. “I'll draw him away from the bridge while you use the computer to change our course.”

“Great. Just one problem.”

“What?”

“I have no idea how to do that.”

“Oh, right. You only ever travelled by Bubble.” There was a slight mocking tone in his voice. Domi wanted to say something but she kept quiet. For now.

“Yeah.”

“Then you'll have to get an earpiece. They're in a drawer to the right of Carl's charging port.”

“Is that what that thing is in your room?”

“What did you think it was?”

“I dunno, it just looked really strange.” She paused. “But I think it's cute.”

“What is?”

“That you and Carl sleep in the same room. You're like roomies.”

“Huh, I never thought of it that way.” He shrugged with a smile.

“So how does the earpiece work?”

“All you have to do is put it in your ear then touch it when you want to talk. After that I'll tell you what to do.”

“Okay. But how are you going to get him off the bridge?”

“I need to get him as far away from there as possible so the engine room is the best option.”

“Looks like we have a plan.” She kissed him on the cheek. “That's for luck.”

She smiled to herself as she left Lord Wander with that goofy look he had when he got embarrassed. The same look she found absolutely adorable.

Wander's room was up one floor, the opposite direction to where the engine room was so they had to split up the moment they entered the hall. Domi went left and took the stairway up. Her destination only a few feet away. The room was neat and tidy but lacked personality. Wander apparently wasn't a big believer in decorating.

The charging port was against the wall to her left. Now that she really looked at it she could see Carl's outline. She wondered how she had missed that.

After opening the drawers she picked out a random earpiece, took one look at it and immediately knew which end went into the ear. She slid the device in and pressed the button.

“Hello? Wander? Can you hear me? Hello? Oh grop, are you alright? Why aren't you answering?” Fear for Wander's safety took hold of her with an iron grip. Had First Carl discovered their plan?

“You're supposed to give me a chance to talk when you ask a question.” He sounded annoyed.

“Sorry.” She felt a bit silly.

“It's fine. Go to the bridge. But make sure you don't touch your ear in front of First Carl.”

“Good point. Don't want him suspecting anything.”

“Exactly.”

The bridge was the second largest room on the ship, after the engine room. It was a wide semi-circle shape with the Captain's chair in the middle and a row of consoles underneath a window that stretched across the curve of the room. Carl was working on one of these consoles. He didn't notice her coming in or he didn't care.

Domi took a moment to prepare herself. “Hi, Carl.”

“Dominique? What are you doing on the bridge?”

“Oh I was bored and wanted to take a look around. You don't mind do you?”

“No, of course not.”

“Great!” Domi hopped on to the Captain's Chair. “Set a course for adventure!”

Carl didn't react to her.

Sighing, she left the chair to get a better look at the different consoles that operated the ship. Maybe she could find what she was looking for without Wander's help?

From a distance they didn't look too complicated but up close was another story. There were so many buttons, switches, displays, flashing lights. It was enough to make her head spin.

“What is it?”

For a second she thought First Carl was talking to her.

“Why are you in the engine room?”

Wander.

“That sounds unlikely.”

First Carl turned his pink, diamond-shaped eye onto Domi and kept it there for an uncomfortable amount of time. Domi could feel the hairs on her arm rising.

“I'll be down shortly.” He left the bridge without looking back. Domi counted a few seconds before calling Wander. She wanted to be sure he was gone.

“Wander. He's gone. What do I do?”

“Look for a red display with a string of numbers. Below that there should be an image of the Galaxy. Tap the image and a list of places we have been to will show up. They're in alphabetical order so just scroll until you find Meadar. When you find it, tap it. But as soon as you do the ship will drop out of warp.”

“Meaning First Carl will know something is up.”

“That's right.”

“I'll let you know when I'm ready.”

“Thanks.”

Domi lowered her hand from her ear and touched the image of the Galaxy with her index finger. There was a sudden and violent shock. She felt her body convulse as a wave of electricityviolently passed through her. Then all went black.

* * *

Hater was looking for Peepers. He wasn't in the keep and he wasn't in the courtyard. He thought about checking Lord Dominator's ship but he knew Peepers' concern over it. Where could he have gone to? Then he saw it. A flickering light in the left eye of the Skullship. What was he doing in there?

It occurred to Hater that since arriving on Maelstrom he barely went back to the Skullship. It seemed so quaint compared to everything else he had seen since coming here. The triangular ship hovering above their heads was only a part of it.

Once inside he followed the sounds of electrical sparks. He found Peepers on his back, under the ship's computers, messing about with wires and tools. “Peepers!”

The sudden noise jolted Peepers up, slamming his eyeball into the base of the computer. He crawled out of his workspace, massaging his sore eye. “What is it, sir?”

“What are you doing?”

“I'm improving the Skullship.”

“How?”

“Dominator has given me free run of most of his ship, so I've been using my spare time to take components from there and installing them here. Now we have a faster engine, more powerful lasers and a large stockpile of missiles.”

Hater grinned. “The Skullship is supercharged!”

“And that's not all. I've saved the best news for last.”

“There's more?” There were sparkles in his eyes.

“Follow me.” Peepers took Hater deep into the Skullship. They entered a room with a single light hanging over a workbench with the remains of one of Dominator's Bots sitting on it.

Hater felt disappointed. “Is that it?”

“Let me explain.” He clapped his hands and the rest of the lights came on revealing dozens of screens filled with writing that Hater didn't understand. He could pick out some words that he knew but overall he had no idea what he was looking at.

“This is the code for the Bots.” Peepers stated with some pride.

“Oh.” Hater said as if he knew what Peepers was talking about.

Peepers sighed. “I think I've figured out what I need to alter their programming.”

“To do what?”

“To answer to us, or more specifically, you.”

“Me? I can have his whole army?”

“Yes, sir. But there's one big problem.”

Hater rolled his eyes. Of course there was.

“The only way I can change the code for every Bot is at the core on the mother-ship. It's the one place I am denied access.”

Hater shrugged. “What do you want me to do about it?”

Peepers thought that was obvious. “Try to convince Dominator to let me in.”

“I don't think he trusts me enough to do that. But, we might not need his permission soon.”

Peepers titled his eyeball. “Sir?”

“I have a feeling things are about to change very soon and in my favour!”

“I'm not sure what you mean.”

“I can't explain it. All I know is that when Wander gets here nothing will be the same.”

Peepers had never heard Hater talk like this before. It bothered him but in a way it was also very thrilling. “Whatever you're planning sir, I'm with you all the way.”

“That's why I like you Peepers. Blind devotion.”

Peepers clapped his hands again, plummeting them back into darkness. “Was there a reason you were looking for me, sir?” He asked as they made their way off the ship.

“Oh, right. Dominator wants to speak with you. Says he has the perfect mission for your first command.” He waved his hand as if it was unimportant.

“Interesting. What should I do?”

“Play along for now. But be ready. Things could happen very quickly.”

“I'll do my best.”

They left the Skullship and returned to the Keep where Dominator waited in the throne room. The sarcophagus was standing where Setronilion used to keep his lush pillows. Only it wasn't floating and there were thick black cables coming out of the back of it, reaching up to the darkness above. The green light came on.

“Commander Peepers, I have your first assignment.”

Hater had been trying to learn all he could from Dominator about power, how to wield and maintain it. He wanted to know how he could conquer this Galaxy and others. There was a hunger in him that he never knew he had. A hunger for conquest.

But he lacked something. If only he could take Dominator's powers as his own then he will truly be a force to be reckoned with. He just needed to figure out a way to make this possible. Because he knew that Dominator's powers were not a part of him but something he created for himself.

For now he had to watch closely and wait for an opening.

“Do you think you can do that?” Hater didn't listen to a word that was said.

“It doesn't sound too difficult but I will give it my all.”

“I demand nothing less.”

After they left the keep, Hater turned to Peepers. “What did he ask you to do?”

“Weren't you listening?”

“Nope.”

“He tasked me with attacking some backwater planet after I receive a signal from him. He recommended I take the Skullship along with a few dozen of his Bots.”

“I wonder what he's planning?”

“I guess we'll know soon enough.”

* * *

Lord Wander didn't know what to think. After Domi had leaned in to kiss him on the cheek he felt his mind lose focus. And it wasn't just the fact that she had kissed him but it was the revelation that he liked it. All his life he had never shown any interest of that kind in the people he met.

Dozens of folks of all types had crossed paths with him. Some he liked, others he'd rather not think about but the idea of _being_ with any of them was not something he ever thought about, even casually. Until now.

There was something new he was discovering about himself that he didn't have the time to explore just yet. He had a problem to fix first. One thing at a time.

After they had split up Wander took the back staircase to the bottom level of the ship where the storage area and engine were accessed. The storage area was mostly empty with only the most needed supplies kept locked down.

The engine was a different story. The room was tall and narrow and most of it was taken up by the engine itself. At the moment the drive was spinning at a speed that his eyes couldn't follow. Doing anything to damage it would result in a catastrophic explosion sure to destroy the entire ship. Not only that but they needed the engine working so they can still get to Meadar and as far away from Maelstrom as possible.

He was just going to have to lie. He touched his ear. “Carl? Come in.”

“What is it?”

“It's the engine. I think there's something wrong with it.”

“Why are you in the engine room?”

“I heard it making a funny noise from my room.”

“That sounds unlikely.”

Wander hoped he didn't give anything away. “Well I definitely heard something. You better get down here and take a look at it.”

There was a long stretch of silence. “I'm on my way.”

All he needed to do now was wait for Domi to contact him before First Carl arrived.

He was relieved when she finally called him. “Wander. He's gone. What do I do?”

“Look for a red display with a string of numbers. Below that there should be an image of the Galaxy. Tap the image and a list of places we have been to will show up. They're in alphabetical order so just scroll until you find Meadar. When you find it, tap it. But as soon as you do the ship will drop out of warp.”

“Meaning First Carl will know something is up.”

“That's right.” She caught on to these things quick.

“I'll let you know when I'm ready.”

“Thanks.”

There was a sharp buzzing sound that pierced his skull. He had to remove the earpiece before any permanent damage was done. “What the flarp was that?”

The device in his hand looked fine. Did something happen to Domi?

First Carl entered the room.

“Could you run a diagnostic on the engine? I'm worried there might be a problem we can't see.”

“Oh, there is no problem.”

“Excuse me?”

“I think you know what I mean.” He made an aggressive move towards Lord Wander.

“Carl! What are you doing?”

“Stop playing dumb Wander. You know who I am.”

This was it. The confrontation he had been putting off for years. The thing he should have done instead of marooning the Bot. “I'm sorry.”

“I don't want your apology.” Another step forward.

“Then what do you want?”

“I thought I wanted to maintain my facade as your new Carl and make you feel what it was like to be betrayed. But I think a better option has presented itself.”

Wander clenched his fists, concentrating on forming ice around them.

“If Domi has done what I think she's done then she's probably unconscious right now.”

The ice faded. “What did you do?”

“I programmed the ship's consoles to only adhere to my commands. An attempt made by anyone but myself will result in a nasty electrical shock.”

“Carl if you've hurt her...”

“I have undoubtedly hurt her. And that's not all I plan to do.”

Wander had had enough and swung an ice covered fist at First Carl, throwing him into the wall. The Bot recovered quickly and leapt towards Wander, all four feet out wide. He wrapped himself around his former friend, tightening his grip. Wander found it hard to breathe.

If he could grow his hands large he could push himself up and forward into the wall above the door. That should loosen the Bot's grip.

It worked.

They both fell to the hard metal floor. Wander landed on his back, knocking the wind out of him while Carl bounced out the door.

Wander's vision was getting blurry. He had lost too much oxygen. His legs were unsteady and his arms felt weak. And his chest was in pain. He was gulping for air when First Carl came back to him. “It's time we brought an end to this.”

* * *

Domi blinked her eyes open. She heard a noise like a body being dragged. When her eyes focused she saw that she had been right but it was not a sight she wanted to see. First Carl had come back to the bridge with Wander on the floor behind him, sounding like he was having trouble breathing.

She tried using her arms to raise herself but they wouldn't move. After a few tries she discovered that most of her was unable to move. This was very worrying. Could she even talk? “Carl!” That's something, at least. “Leave him alone!”

“I don't intend to hurt him. Not physically any way.”

The Bot turned Wander over on his side so he could see Domi. His face contorted in pain with each breath he took. Domi felt her anger rising. Normally she would be able to control herself, stop the anger from taking her over. But not this time. Her anger was giving her strength. She could move her arms and legs again, even if it didn't amount to much. So she let the anger in faster.

First Carl came close to her with a blaster pointing out of the top of it's head. He was aiming it right at her head. Domi saw tears forming in Wander's eyes and understood what First Carl was trying to accomplish. If only he moved a little closer...

“Hey you bucket of bolts! Think fast!” Domi heard the familiar and welcome voice of her dearest friend, followed by a loud clang as the two Carl's collided. Sylvia had thrown the Second Carl at the First sending them both crashing into the consoles behind them.

Sparks and bits of metal and plastic flew about the bridge as the Bots fought. Sylvia ignored the fight to help Domi onto her feet. “Long time no see.”

“Sylvia. I've missed you so much.” Domi threw an arm around her friend's neck. “We have to help Wander. He's in bad shape.”

“On it.” Sylvia lifted Wander with her free hand and held him up while he put his arm around her, placing his hand on Domi's shoulder.

Sylvia moved towards the exit.

“We can't leave.” Wander said in between gasps for air. “We have to save Carl.”

They turned to watch the battle but it was hard to tell who was winning or even which Carl was who.

“If we stay we'll get caught in the crossfire!” Sylvia argued.

“I'm not leaving him to die!”

“He's right, Syl.”

“Grop! Fine. How do you want to do this?”

“Hold me steady while I aim.” He raised his right arm at the combatting Bots.

“How can you tell which is which?”

“Because I can.”

Together Domi and Sylvia held up Wander's weak arm while he closed one eye and took aim. There was a sharp intake of breath, then he fired. A wave of ice shot out from his fingertips. One of the Bots was frozen solid, it's body and limbs stopped mid-fight.

“Wander?” The other Bot pushed the frozen one aside and charged towards him. Wander fell to his knees. Carl used one of his limbs to lift him up a little so he could see his face. “Did you miss me?”

Wander hugged his friend with as much force as he could muster. “Of course I did.” Tears burned his eyes.

Sylvia and Domi watched on when Domi saw the ice around First Carl beginning to thaw. She took her arm off of Sylvia and approached the machine that almost killed her. The anger was still there inside her, waiting to be released.

“Domi?” Sylvia asked. Wander and Carl turned to see what she was doing.

Domi grabbed one of First Carl's legs, lifted him up into the air like a club then brought him down hard onto the floor, screaming with rage. The force of the blow was so great it cracked his body and snapped off one of his legs.

The bridge had gone quiet.

The light in First Carl's lens had dimmed but remained on. He was still alive, but barely.

Wander's eyes widened. “We're still heading to Maelstrom!”

“I'll take care of that.” Carl left Wander with Sylvia and went to the consoles. He brought up the image of the Galaxy and scrolled down to Meadar. He tapped the name. The ship stopped.

They had arrived at Maelstrom.

* * *

“Get us out of here!” Wander cried out.

“The engine will not engage. We are caught in a tractor beam.”

They all looked out the window at the red and brown planet in front of them. But it was the massive triangular ship that held their attention. All except Domi. She seemed to be staring a thousand miles away.

The _Venandi_ was pulled towards the scary ship until it was close enough to be taken to the planet below. The red ship hovered over the _Venandi_ as it landed them outside the keep. They were also being escorted by a dozen small fighters.

“Wander, promise me that whatever you see or hear in there you won't abandon me?”

That word held a lot of weight for Wander. “I promise.”

Domi smiled but it looked sad to him.

“Carl, Sylvia. You two remain on the ship and put First Carl in a place where he can't do any more damage.”

“Why aren't we coming with you?” Sylvia protested.

“This is something we have to do on our own.” He put his arm around Domi, still weak from his fight with First Carl.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Not really. But it has to be this way.”

“I am not sure what is going on but please stay safe.” Said Carl.

“So long as we're together, we'll always be safe.” He tightened his grip on Domi.

They left the _Venandi_ and walked across the dusty ground to the entrance to the keep. As they came closer Wander could see vague shapes displayed along the walls. It looked like some kind of decoration. The horror of what he was seeing didn't hit him until he was close enough to see what it really was.

All along the edge of the keep were the bodies of snakes, held up with wooden poles and rope. Wander felt sick at the sight. And then they reached the gates. And Setronilion.

The red snake that Lord Wander had known for most of his life was draped between two poles, his head and tail hanging loosely. He looked dead. His scales were burned to a crisp and his body looked like it had been crushed by a giant fist.

He coughed.

Without hesitation Wander reached out with both hands, gently lifting the snake down. The ice was painful to his sensitive body.

“Set.” Wander said in a near whisper. “What have they done to you?”

“Is that you Wander?” His voice was cracked and his eyes were milky.

“It's me.” He said with tears in his eyes.

“I'm so sorry for what I've done. Can you forgive me?”

“Of course I do!”

“Thank you, dear boy. Now come closer, I have something I wish to say to you.”

Domi turned her head away, leaving them alone in their private moment. When she turned back around she saw that the snake had died in Wander's arms.

His back was twitching. He was crying very hard.

Domi stayed quiet.

When the tears stopped coming he rose up and faced her. “Let's go.”

“Alright.” She put his arm around her and helped him enter the courtyard.

Dozens of the little fighters were lined up on either side of them all the way to the keep. The closer they got to the large doors the stronger Lord Wander was getting. By the time they reached the entrance he was able to walk by himself. But he did so while holding Domi's hand.

Inside they saw Hater standing next to a large black sarcophagus. The doors opened.

A man stepped out of the tomb. A man with green skin, red eyes and wearing a black cloak. “It's been a while.” He said with a devilish grin.

“Hello, dad.”

End of Part Seven


End file.
